2003-2008 Ford Falcon RTV ute used car review

One of the things we all miss most about our dear, departed local car-making industry was the imaginative range of spin-offs from mainstream models.

The two-door versions of 1960s and 70s Falcons and Holdens (not to mention the latter-day two-door Monaro from early this century) are great examples. So are the various commercial vehicles that were developed after taking a family sedan and giving it a major re-engineering.

Of those commercials, one of the most interesting of all was a thing called the Ford Falcon Ute RTV from the first decade of this century. Not only was the RTV Ute an interesting design study, it also filled a gap in the market to which not too many car-makers had given much thought.

Just as dual-cab four-wheel-drive utes are big business right now in Australia, back in the early noughties, it was utes and their derivatives that were exciting the tradies of the nation. Ford was building souped-up utes in the form of XR8s and XR6 Turbos, but even then, the RTV came out of left field to an extent.

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The truth was, we’d seen the RTV’s like before in a 1990s Falcon Ute dubbed the Outback. Based on the Ute of the day, the Outback got a clever limited-slip differential, some more aggressive tyres and a small lift in suspension height to give it some of the smarts of a four-wheel-drive but without the bulk, weight, running costs or purchase price of such a thing.

So the RTV which launched as part of the BA Falcon Ute range in 2003 was kind of more of the same, but went a step or two further. Some of that was down to progress; the Falcon Ute by then had the double-overhead camshaft six-cylinder engine and improved interior that came with all BAs, but the RTV content really stirred things up.

For a start, you got more ground clearance courtesy of a 68mm lift to the front suspension and an 80mm lift at the rear. There was also 30mm more track front and rear for a bigger footprint and greater stability on uneven ground.

The suspension itself was based on the One-Tonne Ute, so the RTV had a superb payload of 1157kg and the ability to tow a braked trailer up to 2300kg. That puts it right at the top of the tree in this department and is largely due to the leaf rear springs and live-rear axle of the basic Falcon Ute package.

The other RTV-specific bits included a Dana-Spicer locking rear differential which could be locked for maximum traction up speeds up to 40km/h; perfect for plodding across a muddy building site.

You also got underbody protection which ran for much of the length of the cabin to protect the engine and gearbox in rough going.

Even though this was very much a niche vehicle, Ford still managed to offer plenty of meaningful options.

They started with a column-shifted automatic transmission and bench front seat to increase capacity to three (although they’d have needed to be close friends) and while a driver’s airbag was standard, a passenger’s 'bag could be added for extra money.

But what a lot of people have forgotten is that the RTV didn’t lock you into the petrol six-cylinder engine. In fact, you could option up the factory LPG system or even the three-valve, 220kW version of the BA’s V8 engine (though not many did).

And even though the RTV was based on the base-model XL Ute, it did get ABS and brake-force distribution; standard fitments only seen on other Utes like the upmarket XR6 and XR8 versions. And if the conventional Ute’s `Styleside’ tub didn’t suit you, you could have you RTV as a cab-chassis allowing you to fit it with the common alloy-drop-side tray or any number of service bodies designed for specific trades and tasks.

So what do you need to know about a second-hand RTV Ute?

Well, as with any work-oriented vehicle, you need to make sure that there’s actually some life left in the thing.

Check for the obvious stuff like panel damage and weird wear patterns on the tyres that suggest something underneath is bent.

Speaking of which, be aware that the raised ride height dictated specific steering links and other bits and pieces for the RTV, so don’t assume any old BA Falcon Ute parts will fit as replacements.

These vehicles were also hard on front brake rotors (even if the vehicle hasn’t towed anything) and replacing the rotors is the usual fix for a car with warped units.

The automatic gearbox featured an external heat-exchanger which was cooled by the engine’s coolant. The problem there is that, over time, the pipes in the cooler can leak, allowing coolant into the actual gearbox which will be (usually) irretrievably damaged.

These Falcons were hard on radiators, too, so check for leaks and a falling coolant level in the catch-tank, and check the rear of the water pump for an O-ring that can fail leading to a coolant leak.

Rear spring shackles which mount the leaf springs can also take a hammering and may need to be replaced and lower-front ball joints and upper-inner wishbone bushes sometimes need to be replaced.

Make sure the central locking works properly and that both doors obey the commands of the remote control. If they don’t the problem could be actuators (cheap) or a fritzed body computer (definitely not cheap and requires new ignition keys to be coded to the new computer). A battery that was fine yesterday but is flat next morning is another sign of a body computer playing up by leaving interior lights on overnight.

To be honest, a high percentage of RTV Utes out there will have been used and abused and won’t have a lot to offer. But unlike the entry-level Falcon Ute which was a fleet-model to its bootstraps, the RTV was more expensive to buy new and just that little but special.

Special enough, in some cases, for them to be bought by caring private owners who used them but didn’t use them up. And that’s the one to find second-hand, especially since they’re phenomenal value right now on a kilo-per-dollar basis alone.

If you're looking for an RTV or another second-hand Falcon Ute, check out what's for sale on Drive by clicking here.

Offered some genuine ability without weight or cost of all-wheel-drive

One-Tonner version was a true workhorse.

Huge towing and payload potential.

Robust and reliable.

Dislikes:

Dull interiors.

Iffy ride thanks to stiffly-sprung rear end.

Noisy at highway speeds.

Some are truly worn out.

Competitors

Holden VY-VZ One Tonner – By ditching the independent rear suspension of the Holden Ute, the One-Tonner emerged as a genuine tradie’s mate. Watch out for later, VZ V6s with stretched timing chains. 3.5 stars

Ford Falcon One-Tonner – More or less the same as the RTV apart from the locking rear differential and ride-height. Slightly lower loading height, then, but the same grey cabin and decent choice of powerplants. 3 stars

Holden Crewman – Kind of the odd man out in the Ute world as Ford had no direct competitor for this one. Four doors and five seats mean the whole crew can go to work together, but the trade-off is in a shorter tray. 3 stars